I only recently became aware of this site when browsing for new haircare products, and placed my first order a few weeks ago. I'm really pleased with the service I received, and it was a very easy shopping experience!
The website
The website itself (cheapsmells.com) is really helpful and informative. There are a variety of different products available from this site - ranging from hair products to skincare to make up and to perfume. It's a great place to do your christmas shopping! I was looking for the prices of haircare, but was so impressed with the range of goods available that I found myself looking at the make-up too.At the top of the website, the catergories are split into: Perfume, Aftershave, Skincare, Haircare, Cosmetics, Bath and Body and Gift sets. From here, you can easily navigate through to the pages that you are interested in as a click through from the title. Once you have selected which area you want to look at, the menu is further broken down by brand name. Once you find the brand name on the list that you are looking for (and there are a variety of brands available!) you can then select by product type eg shampoo, conditioner etc. Once you have made your selection here, all the available products are displayed - including a picture so you can see what they are like. You can click on any that are of interest to enlarge the picture and find out more about the product. The RRP for the product is also displayed, along with the discounted price, so you can see how much you are saving too. From here you can add items to your basket.
The prices
Prices are cheaper than you would expect to find on the high street. Usually discounts are around 15%, but can vary and sometimes be as high as 30%. You can also sign up to receive emails from cheap smell and when promotions are on, receive a voucher code that you can enter when making a purchase that will give you a further reduction. These offers range from 10% off a certain brand, to a further 5% off your first purchase.
Delivery
Delivery is via Royal Mail and usually within 1-2 weeks of making your order (the website states that orders are dispatched within 1 working day of placing your order, so this depends on Royal Mail) As with most online shopping, you will need to be in to sign for the delivery or arrange a pick up. This standard delivery is charged at 95p per item, rather than a one off package price, so there is no real beneit to ordering in bulk.
There is an option to have your order sent by recorded special delivery, where if your order is placed by 11am on mon-thurs they will be delivered by 1pm the next day. This is more convenient for you if you are normally out, but is more costly as it depend on the weight of you parcel - starting from £5.80 for packages under 100g.
I found that my order, of four items, arrived a week and a half after ordering, but this was in the midst of Royal Mail's postal strikes so probably not a great indication of normal service.
Overall Opinion
I found shopping via this website really quick and convenient. The web page is very simple to navigate and great for browsing. It's very easy to locate the products that you are after too as it is well laid out. The prices are among the best that you can find too and I was kept well informed about my order via email too. When the packages arrived, the products were well wrapped up to avoid damage. I will definitely be shopping here again.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: loads of difffernet designer products, very cheaply priced Disadvantages: delivery is charged per item or by weight if you want special delivery
just.bcoz 13.06.2008 (11.06.2008)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Cheap Smells
Advantages: low prices and delivery, good service, product well packaged, good product selection Disadvantages: the more you buy, the more delivery costs
justathought 15.08.2008 (15.08.2008)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Cheap Smells
Advantages: low prices and delivery, good service, product well packaged, good product selection Disadvantages: the more you buy, the more delivery costs
justathought 15.08.2008 (15.08.2008)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Cheap Smells
Advantages: Huge range of discounted perfumes including hard to find. Wide selection of Clarins products Disadvantages: Candy Colouredf Website can begin to irrate after a while
shopperabc 15.04.2005 (15.04.2005)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Cheap Smells
Nov 8th, 2009
exceptional by (8%):
very helpful by (92%):
